20th September

Then Jesus said to them: Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says: "Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him." Luke 11, 5 & 6

God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9, 7

Three loaves of bread

In order to teach his disciples that their prayers should not restrict themselves to expressing generalities, Jesus shows a concrete example:

- Here is somebody who is in an urgent situation: he needs three loaves of bread. We cannot always express our problems exactly, but let us get used to explaining our needs with precision.

- This man does not demand anything for himself, for his personal satisfaction: he asks for these three loaves of bread for other people. We well understand that God is not in service of our comfort or our imaginations.

- This man knows that he is handling according to God's thought. God loves him who practices hospitality. The Bible teaches us what pleases God.

This man presents his request when it is necessary even if it is a moment which is not favourable to visit a neighbour. The neighbour answers him even if the disturbance is greater than his friendship: he does it to have peace and to fall asleep again. How much more will God who is not submitted to any constraint answer us at any time of the day or the night!

The Lord ends his teaching about prayer with another comparison: if you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give to them who ask him.